Chinese word

直线

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhí xiàn

Meaning

  • nounstraight line

Example

他在纸上画了一条直线。tā zài zhǐ shàng huà le yì tiáo zhí xiàn

He drew a straight line on a piece of paper.

Illustration for 直线 (straight line)

More examples

这两个城市之间的直线距离只有50公里。zhè liǎng gè chéng shì zhī jiān de zhí xiàn jù lí zhí yǒu 50 gōng lǐ

The straight-line distance between these two cities is only 50 kilometers.

Core concept

A perfectly unbending path that can be viewed as either endless or bounded by two points.

Common phrases

  • 画直线huà zhí xiàn

    draw a straight line

  • 直线距离zhí xiàn jù lí

    straight-line distance

  • 沿直线延伸yán zhí xiàn yán shēn

    extend along a straight line

Similar words

线xiàn: A narrow line used to show an edge, route, or direction.
射线shè xiàn: A straight line that begins at one point and has no endpoint in one direction.
线段xiàn duàn: A straight line whose two endpoints are fixed, giving it a set length.

Definition in Chinese

表示没有弯折的线条，既可指无限延伸的几何直线，也可指连接两点的线段。biǎo shì méi yǒu wān zhé de xiàn tiáo jì kě zhǐ wú xiàn yán shēn de jǐ hé zhí xiàn yě kě zhǐ lián jiē liáng diǎn de xiàn duàn

Word origin

直线 (zhíxiàn, "straight line") is formed from 直 (zhí, "straight") and 线 (xiàn, "line"), so its structure directly links the shape to the thing being drawn.

Usage tips

  • English mathematics often separates a line from a line segment, while everyday Chinese can use this word for both, with the context providing the distinction.

Opposites

Related words

  • 直线方程zhí xiàn fāng chéngstraight-line equationnoun
  • 直线距离zhí xiàn jù lístraight-line distancenoun
  • 直线运动zhí xiàn yùn dòngstraight-line motionnoun

Word lists with this word